1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pet grooming tools and more particularly to a pet grooming tool for removing loose hair or fur from the coat of an animal having a handle and a head with uni-directional toothed blade, wherein the blade is rotationally connected to the handle so that the tool can be used by movement in either direction relative to the coat of the animal and the head is pivotally mounted on the handle so that the head can be tilted relative to the handle to adjust the angle of the blade relative to the handle.
2. Description of Prior Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Animals such as dogs and cats have coats of hair or fur that require periodic grooming to eliminate matting and to remove loose hair or fur. Such tools commonly use metal or hard rubber blades, bristles, combs or teeth extending from a head attached to a handle.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,990 issued Nov. 20, 1990 to Wilhelmi discloses a device for removing mats from the hair of animals that consists of a handle from which a plurality of parallel spaced blades extend. The blades have tines designed to rake the uncut hair into strips and remove the cut hair. Because of the structure of the blades, the device can be moved in only one direction relative to the coat of the animal. Since the blades are fixed on the handle, in order to switch direction, the device itself must be released and rotated relative to the hand of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,846 issued Aug. 31, 2004 to Porter relates to a pet grooming tool for removing loose hair from a furry pet that utilizes a uni-directional toothed blade fixedly secured to the head, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the handle. To use the Porter device, one must pull the handle in a direction along the axis of the handle while the head is in engagement with the pet, causing the blade to engage the loose hair of the pet and pull it from the pet. Thus, the Porter device is very restricted in its manner of use.
The present invention is an improvement over prior art devices. While it too utilizes a toothed blade that can be used in only one direction, the blade can be rotated relative to the handle such that the tool itself can be used in either direction. Further, the head can pivot relative to the handle, between an acute angle and an obtuse angle, such that the tool is much more comfortable to use.
It is, therefore, a prime object of the present invention to provide a pet grooming tool with a uni-directional toothed blade for removing loose hair or fur from the coat of an animal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pet grooming tool with a uni-directional toothed blade that is connected to rotate relative to a handle such that the tool can be used in either direction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pet grooming tool with a toothed blade mounted on a head that is connected to pivot relative to a handle, such that the position of the blade can vary between an acute angle and an obtuse angle relative to the handle axis.
It is another object of the present invention to prove a pet grooming tool with a toothed blade situated on a head that is pivotally connected to a handle to vary the angle between the blade and the handle and has a mechanism to lock the head at the desired angle.